Moments ago, the Office engineering team signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build. This milestone means the coding and testing phase of the project is complete and we are now focused on releasing the new Office via multiple distribution channels to our consumer and business customers.

This is the most ambitious release of Office we've ever done. It spans the full family of Office applications, servers and cloud services. The new Office has a fresh, touch friendly design that works beautifully on Windows 8 and unlocks modern scenarios in social, reading, note-taking, meetings and communications. We are proud to achieve this milestone and are eager to deliver this exciting release to our customers.

General availability is planned for the first quarter of 2013. Starting October 19, customers purchasing Office 2010 from local retailers or resellers will receive the new Office for free upon availability. Customers will also see a preview version of the new Office on Windows RT devices, beginning with the Windows 8 launch on October 26.

Additionally, we have a number of programs that provide business customers with early access so they can begin testing, piloting and adopting Office within their organizations:

We will begin rolling out new capabilities to Office 365 Enterprise customers in our next service update, starting in November through general availability.

Volume Licensing customers with Software Assurance will be able to download the Office 2013 applications as well as other Office products including SharePoint 2013, Lync 2013 and Exchange 2013 through the Volume Licensing Service Center by mid-November. These products will be available on the Volume Licensing price list on December 1.

IT professionals and developers will be able to download the final version via their TechNet or MSDN subscriptions by mid-November.

Posted by sumeethevans on October 10 2012, 11:31 AM.
Posted in Microsoft Corp.

I am excited to announce that Microsoft will once again be hosting our annual management conference, Microsoft Management Summit 2013, in Las Vegas April 8-12, 2013 at the beautiful Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

We are planning a great week of technical training, content and networking that you can only get at MMS. If you want to be the first to know when registration opens, please like us on Facebook or send e-mail to mmsnotfy@microsoft.com.

Following on the heels of the releases of Windows Server 2012 and System Center 2012, I am really excited for the chance for everyone to learn more about our latest capabilities and share what’s ahead at our annual gathering. And remember, we had a very early sell-out last year so be on the look-out for registration information and be sure to secure your spot.

The Windows 8 Client and Windows Server 2012 General Availability Cumulative Update is available. This cumulative update package provides a collection of performance and reliability improvements to Windows 8. We recommend that you apply this cumulative update as part of your regular maintenance routines.

Update information

Improvements

This cumulative update includes the following performance and reliability improvements:

Increased power efficiency to extend battery life

Performance improvements in Windows 8 applications and Start screen

Improved audio and video playback in many scenarios

Improved application and driver compatibility with Windows 8

Known issues

The following known issues may occur after you apply this update:

When you turn a Windows feature on or off, the computer may require a restart. For example, this action may be necessary when you turn Remote Access on or off.

Posted by sumeethevans on October 10 2012, 11:22 AM.
Posted in Windows Server.

Windows Server 2012 Essentials is a significant milestone in our efforts to help cloud-enable small businesses and home offices. It is designed to help you protect business data, to allow highly secure access to the information you need from virtually anywhere by using almost any device, and to offer the flexibility to choose which applications and services you want to run on-premises and in the cloud—we have even made it easier than ever before to run Essentials itself in a hosted environment. Excitement about the release of Windows Server 2012 Essentials has been growing. In 8 weeks of public previews, we’ve had more than 23,000 downloads—far surpassing pre-release downloads of past versions.

Today I am pleased to tell you that Windows Server 2012 Essentials has reached the release to manufacturing (RTM) milestone. We are delivering the product to our hardware and ecosystem partners, and it will be generally available in all channels on November 1, with OEM partners shipping server systems by the end of the year.

I would like to encourage you to try Windows Server 2012 Essentials for yourself by visiting the Evaluation Center today to download a trial copy—and if you’re an MSDN or TechNet subscriber, you can download Essentials from those sites as well.

Posted by sumeethevans on October 9 2012, 11:02 AM.
Posted in Exchange.

We want to let you know that we’re working, right now, on the Exchange Server 2013 Deployment Assistant. It will be very similar to the current Exchange Server 2010 Deployment Assistant. Don’t worry, the 2010 version will live on. But, we want to provide the same step-by-step upgrade and deployment guidance for the new Exchange as well! We expect to release initial scenarios like a greenfield Exchange 2013 on-premises installation and Exchange 2013 hybrid deployment scenario early next year and then add additional scenarios over time.

In case you’re not familiar with it, the Exchange Server 2010 Deployment Assistant is a web-based tool that helps you upgrade to Exchange 2010 on-premises, configure a hybrid deployment between an on-premises and Exchange Online organization, or migrate to Exchange Online. It asks you a small set of simple questions, and then based on your answers, it provides a checklist with instructions to deploy or configure Exchange 2010 that’s customized to your environment.

We’ve received great feedback from you on the value of having customized, step-by-step upgrade and deployment instructions.

Posted by sumeethevans on October 9 2012, 11:00 AM.
Posted in Xbox, Zune.

Microsoft has started to remove its Points payments system as the default way to pay for music downloads and movie rentals or purchases in Windows 8. The recent change affects the way Windows 8 users will pay for digital content in the operating system. Previously, in Windows 8 betas, Microsoft used its Points system for all Video purchases and rentals.

The controversial currency for Xbox Live and the Zune Marketplace has been widely used across the Xbox 360 to purchase Xbox Live Arcade games, gamertag pictures, and other downloadable content. The system means users have to purchase bundles of points that equate to 80 Microsoft Points for every $1. In our own testing in the final copy of Windows 8, we are now able to pay for music or purchase and rent movies in the Xbox Video store by using a credit card. You're still able to use Microsoft Points, but the store defaults to credit card transactions. A welcome change from the confusion of having to convert Microsoft Points to currency in order to assess the true cost of a rental or purchase.

Posted by sumeethevans on October 5 2012, 12:15 AM.
Posted in Windows 8.

As we get close to the general availability (GA) of Windows 8, there are many things that the Windows team and other teams at Microsoft have been doing to get ready. Of course, the most important thing has been working with PC makers to help them ready the wave of amazing Windows 8 PCs that will soon be available. Some of these have been announced already and more announcements are to come. With Windows 8, we also introduced a new Store for Windows 8 apps, as well as a number of new apps that are included with Windows. We already have thousands of apps in the Windows Store, even before GA, and we’re working with developers from around the world to bring more in every day. The Windows Store represents an unprecedented opportunity for developers to reach hundreds of millions of customers, and we’re very pleased to see the exciting things that are showing up every day.

Of course, we are also taking advantage of the integrated way that we can deliver updates to apps through the Windows Store. Leading up to GA for Windows 8, we will be releasing updates for many of the apps that were included with the release to manufacturing (RTM) build of Windows 8 that was delivered to PC makers and to MSDN and TechNet subscribers in August. Naturally, these app updates will also be available to PC makers to include by default with their PCs shipping in the future, but for those of you who have already installed Windows 8 RTM, it is super easy to get the updates from the Store app. The Store tile will notify you when updates are available, and you can open it and click the updates link in the top right corner to see the list and install the ones you want.

The Bing app will be the first one out, available tomorrow, and more updates will roll out up until Oct 26th. You will be notified of Windows Store updates just as you have come to expect, with a count of available updates on the Store tile. You can easily choose to install the updates at a convenient time:

Across the board, you’ll see performance and reliability improvements in the apps, but there are some great new capabilities as well. Here are some highlights of the changes you’ll see:

Microsoft is preparing to launch its Xbox Music service on October 26th. Multiple sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have confirmed the new service will launch at the same time as Windows 8. We're told that subscriptions, like the current Zune Music Pass offering, will be available alongside a free streaming service supported by ads — similar to Spotify. The service will be available on Windows Phone, Windows 8, and Xbox 360.

A key part of the service is Microsoft's SkyDrive integration that will allow users to store music and playlists in a cloud collection — available across multiple devices. Although Microsoft has plans to offer Xbox Music across multiple platforms, including iOS and Android, apps will not be immediately available we're told.

This Wednesday (October 3rd) , Xbox is providing U.S.-based Xbox 360 owners with an opportunity to interact live, for the first time ever, with a presidential debate through its new Election 2012 Hub on Xbox LIVE – a new television experience where viewers become participants.

Throughout the debate, the Xbox LIVE community (Xbox LIVE gold membership required) will be able to weigh in with their opinions by responding to real-time poll questions about the candidate’s performances, their responses to questions and views on issues. Participants will be able to view poll results of the Xbox LIVE audience throughout the evening. All Xbox LIVE participants are also encouraged to submit poll questions via Twitter – #XboxPoll. Submitted questions will be reviewed and some of the best will be asked to the Xbox LIVE community during each debate.

The launch of Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10 will change the way we use devices and the internet. It opens up a new class of opportunities for us to reimagine all of our products and services including MSN. MSN with more than 480 million visitors per month is the top site in 27 markets and remains one of the most popular media destinations on the Internet.

When we saw what Windows 8 and IE 10 could make possible, we saw possibilities we had never before imagined. We thought deeply about how you could interact with MSN in an increasingly touch and tablet-friendly world. We envisioned something completely new and refreshing that would surprise and delight. Something built from the ground up that harnesses the new technical capabilities in Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10.

Introducing MSN for Windows 8

Staying in the know just got easier and faster. Designed exclusively for Windows 8, the all new MSN will be the first thing you experience when you launch Internet Explorer 10 on your new device.

Available October 26th, MSN for Windows 8 gives you a place where you can be informed, decompress and let your curiosity reign. From the updated user interface to blazing fast speed and comprehensive content, MSN showcases what it does best – instant access to the information you want.

Mark your calendars! I’m happy to announce that we will hold the first Lync Conference next year in San Diego, CA. The conference will take place at the Hotel del Coronado from February 19-21, 2013.

The conference will feature dynamic keynotes, informative sessions for both business and technical audiences, a partner expo hall featuring some of our great Lync partners and plenty of opportunities tonetwork with attendees. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as we get closer to February and more details become available, but I hope you’ll join us as we have some great things in store.

Registration is officially open today and we expect the conference to sell out, so don’t delay. To learn more, I encourage you to visit www.lyncconf.com, like our Facebook page and join the conversation on Twitter using the #LyncConf13 hashtag.